The Talk
by avidari
Summary: Brendan knew the elder's says: when you date a girl, you date her entire family, but he didn't think that he should be the one who experienced it. M for later chapter. Because SomaXOC is too mainstream :D
1. The Talk: Beginning

Brendan knew the elder's says: when you date a girl, you date her entire family, but he didn't think that he should be the one who experienced it. Many things happened after the rescue of Lindow by the first unit. Lindow and Sakuya's marriage, Sakuya's pregnancy, and surprisingly, he dated the first unit's leader.

The last thing wasn't predicted by most of his peers, except Tatsumi since he was his best friend and Brendan told him everything about his feelings to the first unit leader. But the first unit member took this news really seriously, including Soma. Yes, the stoic and the emo one from the first unit was the first person who faced Brendan and then, they had "The Talk".


	2. The Talk: Soma

Brendan barely had a mission together with Soma. Mostly, he knew the guy from rumor, though he never took the vicious gossip about Soma seriously. He only talked to him few times and mostly he said 'good morning' and Soma responded by his glare. When he had mission with Soma, Alice always had been there with them. Eventually, she was the one who sent the mission invitation to both of them. Brendan knew Alice loved being companied by a buster blader, but he never thought she really loved being companied by TWO. She was a fan of big weapon, but she was too small to carry it.

So when the rumor of Brendan and Alice spread, Soma took a seat in front of Brendan in cafeteria. Soma brought his tray along him and started to eat in silence. Brendan startled. He never could read Soma's facade. _Is he going to eat me along with the giant corn-on-the-cob? Figures, I think I'm so much easier to chew than that hideous thing_, he thought.

"I heard you date that noisy creature," Soma said after he finished his lunch.

"Um...if you mean Alice, then yes..."

Soma raised his eyebrows and folded his arms. "Don't you think you should say something?"

"Something?"

Soma glared. "Listen to me. If you're not going to say anything, then let me be the one." He stated. "That noisy creature you called Alice is our leader, MY leader. Although she always makes my head being upside down and my ears bleed, she is still our well-loved-by-all leader. What did you think that your so-called-love for her is different and so special from us?"

"I see..." Brendan sighed. "Soma, I'm sorry for not saying anything to you or your unit about my intention to court her," he said. "I understand about your doubt, but I love Alice. Cross my heart, I will always love her. I get anxious and somewhat angry every time your unit is sent to the frontline, /there's like a big lead ball on my stomach every time she comes back and has to be treated at the sick bay. Do you know how much I want to open the door and stay by her bunk? Do you know how much I want to trade place with her so she doesn't have to be the one who fights? I know by courting her is not making it easier to protect her, but it makes me easier to pamper her when things get rough and it really makes me easier to say that I love her."

Brendan never knew he could make that kind of speech without making notes or preparation before.

Soma frowned. "Listen, you punk. I know how it feels to be left by someone you really love," he said. "It makes me want to die, literally. And Alice was the one at that time who made me realize that dying sure didn't make the person that I loved happy."

_Oh, sure, the Aragami girl_, Brendan thought. He heard that the first unit smuggled a human-like Aragami when the Director was searching it in other branch. And the story went on as the Aegis Project vanished and the Director was killed. He also heard that the Aragami girl was in some kind of a tenderly affair with Soma, but she was gone to the moon for the sake of the earth and mankind.

"I have nothing against you, actually." Soma said. "But look, if you hurt her, even just a tiny scratch, if you make her drop a single tear, let's just say you're engaging a duel with me."

"I understand."

"Don't get me wrong." He added. "I just don't like the idea of her bursting through my door and crying like nosy baby about heartbreak and telling me that you are a total jerk."

Brendan laughed. "I can see what you mean and I understand. You can keep my promise."

Soma nodded seriously. "It may be out of my character, but let's just say I'm relieved it's not Shun or Karel."


	3. The Talk: Kota

_Sooo... English is not my first language. I'm so sorry for my messy-grammar and please, do your job gently, O mighty Grammar-Nazi :')_

* * *

Surprisingly, with all of those glares and threats, Soma was the easiest person of the first unit when it came to The Talk. The second person he was talking to was Kota, Alice's best bro, buddies for life she once said.

**KOTA**

"So umm..." Kota scratched his head. He invited Brendan to his room few days after Soma talked to him. The glee of the branch seemed uneasy and troubled. Brendan just sat and waited his speech about his new relationship with Kota's most valuable friend. "I heard a rumor..."

Brendan sighed. "Believe me, it's not a rumor."

"Really? That you're gay?"

"Wh...wha~ Where the heck does that stupid rumor come from?" He startled. "No, not that rumor."

"So you're not dating Alice just to get close to Soma or Lindow?"

Brendan groaned. "No, no."

"And you're not Tatsumi's former lover?"

"No. Never. Never in any infinite years." Brendan shook his head. _Boy, this guy is nuts!_

Kota nodded. "So you're just an ordinary guy who eventually date first unit leader who is also eventually my best buddy, right? You see, it's not like I'm against you or something, but you have to know that I really really love Alice. Not in the lover's way, but some kind of brotherly love. Call me sister complex or Alice complex, whatever you may call, but Alice in the top list of persons who I should protect from Aragami or from any kind of jerk."

"I see..."

"Well then, I'm happy that you understand." Kota took something from beneath the coffee table and shoved it to Brendan. "So you might understand too that I have to know that you're an asshole or not. You have to take this sheets of hundreds question about not being jerk. You may bring this to your room and I suppose to receive the answers by tomorrow morning. It's easy right? You don't have to face any glares like you did with Soma. You just receive a little bit of friendly test and if you pass, you will be my brotah like Alice and my blessing, of course."

"And if I don't?"

Kota frowned, but the he smiled viciously. "I have many kinds of prank that can make you living hell. Believe me, I'm not lying nor am I kidding."

When Kota said hundreds of questions, he meant 999. Truth to be true, Brendan wasn't afraid of any Kota's pranks although he saw it once and he agreed that Kota's prank was one of the living hell beside Tsubaki's punishments, of course, but first unit's behavior always intrigued him. The questions that Kota's made were just a bunch of nonsense, but Brendan found it quite funny. And the next morning, when he gave back the sheets to Kota, the boy just threw it away and hummed happily like nothing happened.

Brendan frowned. "You're not going to check it?"

"Nope. It's too much to read."

"...I see."

They both dwelled in silenced for minutes. Then Kota laughed. "Okay, I'm just playing with you. I'm not sorry, though. I want to see your determination and you pass. Congratulations." He shook Brendan's hand excitedly. "But for my blessing, you have to take an oath."

"An oath?"

"Yes. First, put you right hand up and your left on your chest." Brendan did so. "Repeat after me. Me, Brendan Bardell, take an oath for the sake of Brotah's Blessing."

Brendan sighed. "Me, Brendan Bardell, take an oath for the sake of Brotah's Blessing."

"First, I accept Kota Fujiki as Alice's best friend for who he is."

"First, I accept Kota Fujiki as Alice's best friend for who he is."

"Second, I would never ever..."

"Second, I would never ever..."

"Ever, ever, ever..."

"Ever, ever, ever..."

"Never ever, ever, ever..."

"Yes, Kota. I understand. I would never ever...what's next?"

Kota grinned. "I would never ever forbid Alice from hanging out with Kota Fujiki."

"I would never ever forbid Alice from hanging out with Kota Fujiki."

Kota smiled ear-to-ear. "And that includes pajamas party, sleepover, having lunch together, doing Bugarally marathon, and basically, anything fun."

Brendan sighed. "And that includes pajamas party, sleepover, having lunch together, doing Bugarally marathon, and basically, anything fun."

"Third..." Kota stopped for seconds and looked at Brendan seriously. "I _will_ always love Alice for who she is."

"Third, I will always love Alice for who she is."

"Fourth, I will protect Alice and I'm willing to die for her."

Brendan nodded. "Fourth, I will protect Alice and I'm willing to die for her."

"Fifth, I'll let Kota Fujiki to beat me up if I break any of these."

"Fifth, I'll let Kota Fujiki to beat me up if I break any of these."

Kota smiled a little and sighed. "Guess you really love her, huh?" Brendan nodded seriously. "I'm happy for both of you, really. But I still am not sorry for any of these, okay?"

Brendan chuckled. "I understand."

"It may be an odd thing to say, but please, make her happy."

"I will."

Kota mumbled. "I'm a little bit sad, though. With her as yours, I'm not the only one anymore who can make her laughs. But beside that, I know you're a nice guy and I would be an asshole if I didn't give you my blessing just because I want to be the one who make her happy. Alice is not a puppy, I know. But sometimes, I just..."

Brendan clenched his fists in confused as Kota started to mumble incoherently.

"S-sorry, can you leave me?" Kota said with trembling voice. "Thanks for coming, anyway."

"It's alright." Brendan stood up and before he left, he said, "And Kota, you will always be her dearly brother. You know that, right?"


End file.
